Lyman Orchards Winterfest

This weekend we went to the Lyman Orchards Winterfest. When I read the advertisement, I was so excited by the claims of ice sculptures, illuminations, an igloo village and sledding. It sounded a lot like the amazing Frozen Waterfall festival at Sounkyo in Hokkaido. So, we all dressed warmly and headed out for some wintry fun. For X-man, this fun included eating Puffs sneakily in his car seat.

As you can see in the photos, the two events weren't quite the same after all. For one thing, it was a fairly warm day for February and a lot of the snow had melted which really impacted the winter ambience. But, the medieval ice sculptures were neat. Xavier liked the knight slaying the dragon and the castle sculptures. He smiled a lot at the artist who was building a drawbridge out of ice. I liked the wizard best. As for Chris, I think he liked the delicious free samples in the Apple Barrel shop most of all. :)

Xavier's Baptism

Today was Xavier's Baptism at Saint Sebastian Church in Middletown. This event has been in the works for a long while. It's so exciting that we are finally ready to celebrate!!

The day was off to a bit of a rocky start when X-man woke up very early and very fussy. He's been feeling under-the-weather since Christmas. First, he had some sort of cold/congestion/cough. Then, he caught (and shared) a stomach virus and now it looks like he's starting another cold. Poor little guy! Happily, his sweet personality won out and he let us give him a bath and get him ready for his big day.

The most important step in getting ready was choosing which baptism gown to wear. Xavier had the enviable choice between two beautiful, handmade, family heirloom baptism gowns with different histories. He tried on and took pictures in both gowns. I only wish he could have worn them both for the Christening itself!

One choice was the McNichols Family gown. It was handmade from an old wedding dress by Helen McNichols Hayes, my maternal grandfather's younger sister. This baptism gown was worn by several Mc Nichols babies including my Aunt Joan, my mother, several of my first cousins and several first cousins once removed. In the pictures, it is the gown with the long, long see through skirt and tight cuffs on the sleeves.
The other choice was the Le Febure Family gown. It was handmade for my father by Jeanette Grujon - a first cousin of my paternal grandfather. Worn only by my father at his baptism, the gown "escaped" Castro's regime when it was sent by Jeanette to my father in a French diplomatic package from Cuba. While I'm sure my father (single and in his 20's at the time!) probably questioned the utility of sending him a baptism gown, it's really nice to have it today! Key features on this gown are the shorter skirt, more lace details, and the loosely tied sleeves.

Xavier ended up wearing the Le Febure baptism gown - mostly because it fit him so much better. Seven month old babies are a bit older (and larger) than the average baptism recipient so it was nice to have a less snug garment. Another consideration was that Xavier loves standing up so much. The shorter skirt was a huge help keeping him happy and quiet during mass and the baptism itself.

Unknown to us, we learned that January 20th is the Feast of Saint Sebastian in the Catholic Church. To celebrate Sebastian's sainthood, local third grade children performed a play in six (long) acts highlighting many details of his life, miracles, conversions and martyrdom before the mass began. The Knights of Columbus also joined in on the processional in full regalia.

After the regular mass, Godfather/Uncle Charlie and Godmother Emily Smith joined Chris and I in baptizing Xavier. He did very well throughout the sacrament. In fact, when the priest was pouring water on him, he tried craning his head back to see the pitcher!

After the mass and ceremony we held a small reception at our place. Highlights included catering dishes from Illiano's, my favorite non-alcoholic punch (pineapple juice, diet ginger ale, OJ "ice" cubes, and orange sherbet), and a delicious cake from Front Street Bakery - the best bakery ever!

What a lucky little man to have such amazing Godparents, family and friends there to celebrate with him! God Bless Xavier James!

Walking

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.

A new walking aficionado, Xavier suggests that Ralph Waldo Emerson forgot two key elements for a perfect walk - namely, a stroller and a pacifier!

As part of our new sleep training strategy, stimulating the senses with a daily walk outdoors is recommended. Apparently, it's good to expose him to rustling leaves, birds, moving clouds, barking dogs, wind etc... all from within the safe, warm confines of his stroller or the Baby Bjorn.
My current walking routes of choice are the paved loop trail at Haddam Meadows State Park and the paved grounds of the Indian Hill Cemetery.

Haddam Meadows overlooks the Connecticut River. From part of the loop you can see a boat slip. Several times I have seen folks out fishing or canoeing.

At Indian Hill Cemetery, there is so much to take in while you are walking. For one, the trees are beautiful. Transitioning from lush greens in the summer to vibrant autumn hues - I feel like taking photos almost every time I'm there. I haven't felt inspired in this way since I left Japan, so that's nice. Noting the subtle changes in the landscape as time passes is very relaxing. I like knowing which trees are likely to have birds in them, where the wind picks up momentum on the hills and when/where to expect shadows that provide shade.

Secondly, tombs are fascinating. I love reading all the names and epitaphs. (The most intriguing name I have found so far is Youghaper Bodozian. I discovered that it is a popular Armenian name, but one I had never heard before.) Likewise, it is interesting finding out when people were born and how old they were when they died.

I discovered that several soldiers have been interred at Indian Hill. For example, Joseph Fenno King Mansfield - a Civil War Union Major General who died following the Battle of Antietam is buried here. So are many Connecticut and Massachusetts Vols. As for politicians, US Congressmen including Ebenezer Jackson Jr., and Samuel Larkin Warner are buried here.

I've also found names of people associated with Wesleyan University throughout the graveyard. For example, you can find Wilbur Olin Atwater, a chemist that studied metabolism and human nutrition. He was Wesleyan's first Professor of Chemistry. And, there are no fewer than six Presidents of Wesleyan University buried there including Paul Raymond Bradford (Pres from 1889-1908) and James Lukens McConaughy (Pres from 1925-1943). McConaughy was also a Governor of Connecticut.

And then there are tombs that are just generally interesting - like gravestones for people who were lost at sea!

It is safe to say that we're hooked! Until the weather gets too cold and snowy, count on finding us wearing out our shoes and stroller treads on these great paths.

Happy Halloween!

Check out Pea Pod at the Babies Halloween Party at the hospital. I think he had a lot of fun with his friends. And, he didn't mind wearing his costume. Yay! Xavier really seems to love big crowds -even more so when there are lots of other children. Can you tell?

World Breastfeeding Week

August 1 - August 7, is designated as World Breastfeeding Week. Supported by UNICEF, the WHO and La Leche League among others, World Breastfeeding Week began in 1990 and is celebrated annually in over 120 countries as an outreach to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It serves to raise awareness and try to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

This year's theme was "Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response - Are you ready?" stressing the importance of breastfeeding as a life-saving intervention, especially during emergencies. One interesting thing we learned was that even decades after having children, there are reports of grandmothers being able to re-lactate to feed their grandchildren during crises. How awesome/crazy is that?!

Today, Middlesex Hospital's Breastfeeding Support group celebrated with a fun event. We began with a parade and then had a meeting complete with snacks, drinks and a raffle with several door prizes. It was great to see such a large turnout!

What a Peach!

This weekend we had a fun visit with our friends Rafi & Rachel. They came on the train and tested out the NYC- Meriden route on Amtrak. They had to change to a shuttle (short train with maybe two cars) in New Haven, but it was very straightforward and much cheaper than renting a car. From our perspective, the Meriden train station was close by and easy to find. Good on both counts. Happily, we now can attest that train is a viable option for those looking to visit.

What did we do? We went to Lyman Orchards to pick our own peaches. It was a little tricky to find the place since the directions we had were very wrong. But, once we finally arrived, it was a lot of fun! We also learned that this place has several seasons on their "picking calendar." We can return to pick pears, apples, pumpkins, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and (we've never heard of them until now...) jostaberries! They also have a sunflower maze in the late summer and a corn maze in the fall.

As usual, Xavier had four adults at his beck and call. You can see a great example of this in the big picture above. Chris is holding and feeding him. Rafi is actively admiring him. Rachel is shading him from the sun and I am photographing his every move for posterity. He sure keeps us minions on our toes. :)

They had several types of peaches and nectarines ready for picking. Between us, we picked over three pounds of fruit! Luckily, the orchards were giving out sheets of "Recipes with Peaches" for folks whose zeal for harvesting outpaced their ability to eat peaches before they go bad. Whew!

Xavier was tired out by all the sun and excitement. Awww. On a less adorable note, so were we.

Sunny Day

Here's some proof that Connecticut can have weather that doesn't involve rain. Finally, we have some blue sky and sun mixed in with our clouds.
To take advantage of this (potentially) rare gift, Xavier and I went for a long walk around Wesleyan. We both enjoyed the sun, the heat, the breeze and just the chance to be exercising a bit outside. What a nice day!

Fish and Ships

Over the Labor Day weekend, we had our first three house guests - Sara, Julian and Catriona. Thankfully, they didn't mind that the guest room (and every other room) was still filled with boxes and essentially unfurnished, undecorated and un-baby-proofed. What patient souls! :)

While they were here, we tested out some restaurants and coffee shops in Middletown that we had been meaning to try. La Boca on Main Street was pretty good Mexican restaurant. The grilled mahi-mahi tacos were killer. And, when Catriona got fussy, the waiter made it all better by bringing over a red balloon. Hooray for being easily amused!

We also went to Mystic Seaport on a day trip. Mystic Seaport's other name is "The Museum of America and the Sea." Who wouldn't like that? They have so many things to check out. For example, there is a 19th century whaling village, a preservation shipyard, a planetarium, several special exhibits and a waterfront complete with lots of boats!

But, the highlight of the seaport is probably the old wooden whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan. You can come aboard, go below decks, and even go into the hold to see where the barrels of whale oil would have been stored. You can see trypots on the deck which were used for processing whale blubber into oil and you can see the captain's quarters, the officer's quarters and the cramped bunks for all the other sailors in the fo'c'sle.
If you are me, this is very cool! The annual membership was reasonably priced, so if anyone else wants to visit Mystic with me between now and next September, we've got guest discounts.

Yankee Doodle Dandies

As of this morning, we are now Connecticut residents, having pulled into Middletown with our U-Haul truck. So far, so good!

After a brief search on the internet, here are some of our favorite facts about Connecticut:

Connecticut never ratified the 18th (Prohibition) Amendment.
The name Connecticut comes from a Mohegan/Algonquin word which means "long tidal river."
The state insect is the Praying Mantis. I didn't even know states had state insects!
The state song is "Yankee Doodle".
Nathan Hale is the official state hero.
The whole state's population is roughly 3.5 million. That makes CT the 29th most populous state.
Most importantly, the state is a battleground for the fans of the Boston Red Sox, the NY Yankees and the NY Mets. We will have to try our best to win over our new neighbors. :)